MOSCOW – Members of the Russian opposition Yabloko party's youth branch were detained February 8 while picketing the Central Election Commission office in Moscow, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports.

The activists were protesting the authorities’ refusal to register Yabloko representatives for upcoming elections in the Stavropol and Tambov regions.

Yabloko's press service told RFE/RL that Central Election Commission security service officers detained the activists and handed them over to police. They were held for three hours before being released.

The activists were told they have been charged with the illegal organization of a public protest and their trial is scheduled for February 15.Read in Russian here